


Ackerman Hood

by RobynRed



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Character Death, Engagement, Fire, Friendship/Love, Gay, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Jean is an asshole, M/M, Multi, Robin Hood Disney, Robin Hood References, Weddings, cosplayfanatical, grellsutclifffanatic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 22:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18061010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobynRed/pseuds/RobynRed
Summary: Based off the Disney movie Robin Hood. Levi (aka Ackerman Hood) steals from the rich and gives to the poor along with the help of his Merry Men...and women. But things take an exciting and challenging turn when his childhood sweetheart Prince Eren returns to Nottingham after almost 10 years.





	1. Chapter 1

Ten years before this story begins, in the English town of Nottingham, the Villagers lived happily together and thrived there. That was when King Grisha was still ruler, the best person who the people of Nottingham could have wished for. King Grisha had a good relationship with his subjects and even let his young Son Eren spend time with the children of the village. Eren had many friends, including his best friend, a young boy named Levi. Levi was a little older than Eren and lived in the poorest part of Nottingham with his mother, Kuchel. The two boys spent almost everyday together and were very close. By the time Eren turned thirteen, the two began to realise their realtionship was more serious than just frienship. Fifteen year old Levi had came to realise that he was falling for Eren, hard. So one bright afternoon, Levi took Eren with him to Sherwood Forest. Their friend Hanji had tried to follow them, being the nosy person she was but they lost her soon enough, succesfully finding some time to theirselves. He led the younger boy deep into the forest, soon finding a spot near a waterfall where the two could sit down to talk. Right there, in that spot, Levi confessed to Eren. To his surprise, Eren felt the same and the two shared a small kiss in that forest, completely contented.

“We will be together forever, right Levi?" Eren asked in a whisper as the two sat there with the sun beginning to set behind the waterfall in front of them. Levi nodded slowly, smiling at the boy in his arms.

"Ofcourse we will..." He replied softly. Little did they know that the next morning, King Grisha had to leave for London, taking his son with him. The two didn't even get time to say goodbye. All Levi could do was watch the Royal carriage dissappear out of sight with Eren inside, his heart officially broken.

Eight years later, the Royal Carriage returned, but King Grisha was not inside, neither was Eren. The king was on a long expedition overseas, so he left his brother, Prince Jean in charge. This was the person in the carriage that arrived in Nottingham.

Unlike King Grisha, Prince Jean was the worst thing to happen to Nottingham. The selfish Prince raised the taxes and took every last penny the villagers had. This meant that the most poor region of the town were desperate and starving to death. Within months, Levi's mother had died from starvation, so Levi had not only lost the boy he loved, but he'd lost his only family. But he wasn't going to just give in, he decided to do something about the rich Prince.

Levi gathered up a group of individuals, including his childhood friends and began to steal from the richest people who visited Nottingham, which included Prince Jean. He would give the money he'd retrieved to the poor people of Nottingham, hoping the save them from meeting the same fate as his mother. Soon enough, he had been given the affectionate name of "Ackerman Hood" and his comrades were named his "Merry Men", even though it did consist of females also. His most trustworthy member was ofcourse his friend, Erwin, who was nicknamed Little Smith jokingly because of his height.

For two years, Ackerman Hood continued to steal from the rich, helping the poor people of Nottingham in any way he could. But during that time, Prince Jean had hired a new Sherriff in the town who's main purpose was not only to collect the money from the townspeople, but to also hunt down Levi. The Young Prince hoped to capture Levi and hang him for his 'crimes against the crown' as he called them. Luckilly, Sherriff Reiner and his two Deputies, Sasha and Connie, had not yet found Ackerman Hood's hideout deep in Sherwood Forest, so himself and his comrades were safe for the moment.

On one particular Spring morning, Levi was taking a break from the week's antics, hat over his face to protect it from the sun while he sat up in a tree, back rested against it. But his rest didn't last long as just before he nodded off, a call of his name caught his attention. “Hey Levi!" It called from below the tree. Levi lifted his hat from his face and looked down. He quickly spotted Erwin, waving a hand at him. "Hanji spotted a fancy looking carriage headed towards the forest!" The blond yelled up so Levi could hear. Levi smirked, putting his hat back on his head before jumping down from the tree as if the drop was nothing. “Tell her to make sure her and the others are well hidden." He ordered, retrieving his bow and satchel of arrows, putting them on his back. He then began to walk towards the direction of the road. "You and I are going jewellery shopping~" Erwin let out a light chuckle as he followed the shorter male. "Aw I didn't know you cared, Levi~" He said teasingly, making the raven haired male roll his eyes with a grin. “Shut up you big idiot..."


	2. Chapter 2

"I wonder if Nottingham has changed much since you have last been here, Eren?" Armin asked the Prince as they sat in the carriage headed for Nottingham. Eren was staring out the window, head is his hand and elbow rested against the window.

"It's bound to have changed since dad left that idiot in charge..." Came his reply as he sighed slightly. "He keeps sending letters to tell us about this man who is stealing from him and his friends who visit... Apparently he gives the money to the poor."

"You mean Ackerman Hood?" Armin asked, tilting his head. Eren chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, him... I don't blaim this guy... Atleast he's trying to help, right?"

Nearby, Levi was hidden in the bushes with Petra by his side as they both kept an eye on the carriage edging closer.

"Okay, Petra..." He whispered so only she could hear. "What did Hanji find out?"

"It's a Royal Carriage." She replied in a whisper, looking up at the other. "Not as expensive as Prince Jean's one but expensive all the same. They have a huge trunk of jewels on the back and sacks of money inside the carriage following behind."

"I see... And how many guards?"

"They have six. If Hanji and the others can distract them, we could probably narrow it down to two, which is easy for Hanji and Olou to deal with while you and Erwin steal their valuables." Levi nodded his head in understanding.

"Alright." He said, slowly getting to his feet, being careful he wasn't spotted. "Keep watch, alright Petra?"

"Yes, sir." She replied, nodding her head before getting down lower into the bushes to stay well hidden.

"I can't believe i'ts been ten years since I was here..." Eren mumbled, smiling faintly as the memories of his childhood in Nottingham began to fill his head.

"I have never been there, will I like it?" Armin asked, tilting his head in question. Eren looked at the other, about to speak when he suddenly remembered what he'd heard about Nottingham in recent years.

"I'm not sure... You would have loved it ten years ago..." He said before looking out the window again. "If it's still the same, then have so many things to show you... And people to introduce you to." Armin couldn't help but giggle lightly.

"Including this man you keep telling me about?" He asked.

"Who? Levi?" Eren mumbled, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh. "I doubt he's even still around..."

"You might be surprised... Maybe he-" Armin was silenced when the carriage suddenly came to a instant stop, making him fall off his chair. Eren also lost his balance and hit his head on the window with a thud.

"What was that about?!" He gasped, rubbing head.

"I'll go check with the guards..." Armin replied, getting to his feet and leaving the carriage to find the guards. Eren sat back in his chair, the bang to his head making him dizzy. He listened to the noises outside when a female Eren didn't recognise snuck into the carriage, flashing Eren a smirk when she saw him.

"Hello there~" She chimed before moving to pick up the bags of money nearby. "Don't mind me! Just taking this!" Eren tried to stand but stumbled, still slightly dizzy.

"H-hey! Wait!" He called, trying to reach out and grab her, but by the time he'd got up, the brunette was gone.

"Hanji! Time to go!" Someone called from outside the carriage. Eren looked outside to see what was happening, but all she saw was the brunette running away from her.

"Come on, Hood!" She called, laughing. Within seconds, a raven haired male ran after her. Eren's eyes flew wide, staring at the male in shock. He would have recognised that face anywhere!

"L-Levi...?" Eren gasped as he watched the male dissappear out of sight.

"Prince Eren, are you alright?!" Armin cried as he ran over to him, panting from the effort.

"I-I'm fine!" Eren replied, rubbing his head. "They took the bags of money but i'm fine... Let's just head for the Castle as soon as possible?" Armin nodded his head, getting into the carriage.

"Yes, Your Highness." He said before returning to the guards, letting Eren return to his seat. The brunett let out a sigh, leaning his head back as his mind wandered. Was that really Levi? Levi was Ackerman Hood?! He couldn't believe it! For all these years, he thought Levi died along with his mother years ago, but there he was and he was the hero everyone was talking about. He thought about the last time they saw each other, which caused a small blush to appear on his cheeks and his heartbeat to quicken. After all this time, he still thought about that kiss and he missed Levi so much over that time. As he stared up at the ceiling, he silently prayed that he could one day be with Levi again, even if it meant leaving the Castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Levi lay back on a large boulder, one hand behind his head while the other held onto a silver ring with a large red ruby sparkling in the sun. He lay there, staring at the piece of jewellery in his hand with a soft sigh. Levi's Merry Men sat nearby around him, all either sitting on makeshift benches from logs or simply on the floor as they looked around at everything they had collected. Hanji, who had gotten bored of just sitting around, glanced at Levi and noticed the ring in his hand, making her smirk lightly.

"Hey, if that Prince ever comes back, you could use this to propose..." She chimed in suggestion, making the other look at her before letting out a miserable sigh, shaking his head.

"Let's face it, Hanji..." He mumbled, shoving the ring into his pocket and sitting up. "He's probably better off wherever he is...He's never coming back..."

"Don't be so sure~!" She replied with a wide grin while Levi just looked down at the ground, running a hand through his hair. Hanji waited a few seconds before speaking again. "I spotted your little crush in one of the carriages earlier~" She chimed almost silently, causing the other's head to cock in interest, eyes wide.

"What?!" He snapped out, getting to his feet and throwing his arms up in temper. "And only now you decide to tell me?!" Hanji saw what was coming and began to stand but was too late, Levi already had his hands gripped tightly around her collar.

"Ack!" She gasped out, squirming to try and get away. "Cant...breathe!"

"Levi, let Hanji go!" Erwin said calmly as he concentrated on the meal his was cooking for them in the large black cauldron. He knew too well by now that shouting at Levi didn't work... and that Hanji was always oevr dramatic. "You are going to choke her... Eventually." Levi looked over his shoulder at Erwin before back at the person he was affectively choking in his grasp.

"Tsk." Was the only thing that left his lips before he let Hanji go and moving to sit down again on the boulder. Petra, who was sat nearby with Olou, Eld and Gunther, cleared her throat, breaking the short silence.

"So are you going to see him?" The blond asked in a slightly nervous tone. She didn't really want Levi grabbing her by the throat like he did with Hanji.

"How am I going to do that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, Levi!" Eld added, rolling his eyes. "If anyone can sneak his way into the castle, it's you!"

"Yeah!" Olou shouted in agreement.

"Oh brilliant idea!" Levi groaned out, folding his arms grumpilly. "I'll just leap over the castle walls, sneak into Eren's bedroom and say 'Hey, remember me? We were kids together, will you marry me?' Tsk... He probably doesn't even remember me, guys..." He mumbled out the last sentence before frowning and looking up at the sky in thought.

"I'm sure he does!" Petra said, trying to cheer him up. "He might be even thinking about you right now!" Levi shook his head.

"I doubt it... He's probably already married to some rich Lord or something..."

...

"Eren?" Armin called, as he tried to get the brunett's attention who was staring out the huge window in the bedroom of the castle. "Hello, Earth to Eren?" Eren blinked, finally hearing Armins voice and turning to look at him.

"Oh...Sorry Armin..." He apologised, biting his lip. Armin smiled faintly and shook his head.

"Thinking about him, again?" He asked.

"I can't help it..." Eren mumbled, smiling as the thought of Levi circled his mind again. "Seeing him today made everything come back to me... I had no idea he was the infamous 'Ackerman Hood' everyone is talking about... I thought he was dead!" He said, sitting down on the bed as he stared at the wanted poster of Levi on his wall. He spotted it on a nearby tree and decided to take it for his bedroom. "Do you think he still remembers me?"

"Ofcourse he does!" Armin replied, smiling brightly.

"But it's been so long... I bet he wouldn't even recognise me..."

"You recognised him, didn't you?"

"Yes but I would never forget those eyes..."

"Don't you let Prince Jean hear you say that..." The blond said, scratching the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. "If he knows you know Ackerman Hood, he'll make you look for him." Eren huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Hmph... That horse faced bastard is no prince..." He grumbled, folding his arms. "He's an obnoxious idiot!"


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Sherriff Reiner made his way from the castle into the nearby village, the orders Prince Jean had given him still fresh in his mind: To collect whatever money he could from the villagers and to keep an eye out for Ackerman Hood.

"I'll catch you, you short assed bastard..." He mumbled, a small grin forming on his lips. If he could successfully catch the raven haired male, then there was no telling what rewards he would receive and there was one reward he would be very grateful to receive over all others... Eren. It was not that he wanted the young Prince for his personality, if he could marry Eren, there was no telling what kind of privileges he could have, not to mention the riches. No more running around after rich morons and tending to their duties, he would be able to order around his own servants and get to know what it was like on the other side of the equation for once. A faint chuckle left his lips at the thought as he rounded the corner towards a row of cottages. He stopped outside the first cottage, making sure he was presentable before inviting himself inside. This wasn't just any house to him afterall. This was the home of a certain young lady who he had grown attracted to ever since laying eyes on her. But to his disappointment, she wasn't interested, infact, she feared him. "Anyone home?" He called, smirking as he looked around. After a few seconds, the small blonde woman appeared from another room, eyes filled with fear as she stared up at the male.

"Sh-sherriff? What brings you here?" She stuttered out in question.

"Not to worry, Krista." He assured her, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just here to collect overdue taxes on behalf of Prince Jean."

"B-But I don't have anything left, Sherriff..." She protested, moving to pick up her small money box which she kept on the shelf above the fireplace. "I'm down to my last penny..."

"Then that will do just fine." Reiner said matter of factly, opening the lid and taking said last penny from the box. Krista reached a hand out to try and take it back.

"But-"

"Now, now, Miss." Reiner said, holding the penny higher so she couldn't reach before shoving it into his pocket. "You know the penalty if you do not pay taxes, right?" He said, effectively silencing her protest and making her look down at the ground in defeat. "Good. Now i'd better get going, there's more houses to visit around here..." With that, he left the small cottage, chuckling to himself. Krista sniffled lightly, trying to hold back her tears when she caught sigh of a figure out of the corner of her eye entering through the window.

"Y-Ymir...?" She gasped, instantly recognising her.

"Krista, Levi told me to give you this." The taller female said, handing Krista a bag of money carefully.

"Thank you..." The blond replied, beginning to smile. "This is all for me?" Ymir nodded before wrapping her arms around the other in an embrace.

"Yes, now make sure you keep it safely hidden okay?" She said softly, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Ofcourse. Where is Levi anyway?"

"Oh he's not around here today, he's in hiding since Sherriff dumb dumb is snooping around."

"Oh I see..." Krista mumbled, frowning slightly at the mention of the Sherriff.

"But uh, there is an old geezer walking around here somewhere... He kind of looks like Levi, same height, same build, just old... And blind." Ymir said, winking at the other and making her giggle lightly. Krista knew just what she meant, it was a regular occurence for Levi to go into Nottingham in disguise, he couldn't risk being spotted by the Sherriff.

"You'll come and visit me again soon, right Ymir?"

"Sure I will!" The brunette chimed, smirking at her. "I'll be around incase that doofus tries to pounce on you... If he goes anywhere near my Krista, i'll tear him apart~"

~X~X~X~X~

"Eren, I don't think we are supposed to be out here without Prince Jean's permission..." Armin said nervously as he followed Eren through the streets of Nottingham. Prince Jean was already in a bad mood after Ackerman Hood's antics the day before, so he didn't want to get into trouble with him. Eren looked back at Armin, letting out a light huff at the mention of Prince Jeans name.

"Oh fuck that assholes permission!" He hissed, rolling his eyes. "I want to look around and see what he has done to my old hometown!" He kept walking until he found a row of cottages he recognised, further down were a row of boarded up shops which instantly made his heart sink.

"But Eren-"

"Armin, look what he's done to this place..." He gasped, pointing towards the defeated looking buildings. "See all these houses? They all used to be neatly painted and over there used to be a row of shops and a bakery! Now they are all boarded up!" Armin stared at where Eren was pointing, the sight of the beaten up houses making him bite his lip. From what Eren had told him about Nottingham, it seemed to be a thriving town, but this was the complete opposite.

Eren sighed deeply, looking around at the town he used to call home, his heart sinking at the thought of what may have happened while he was gone. He wondered if maybe he hadn't left with his father, maybe none of this would have happened. The thought made him feel even more guilty. He was brought out of his thoughts when he caught the sight of the Sherriff he'd met earlier that morning. He was talking to an old man who seemed to only be half his size. As he took a closer look, he noticed that the selfish Sherriff was taking the money from the poor old man's own hands. Eren was infuriated. He let out a annoyed growl before marching over to the blond male, glaring at him.

"Hey! Reiner!" He yelled, making Armin squeak and run after him.

"Eren, no!" He protested, knowing this probably will not go too well. Reiner glanced at where the voices were coming from, spotting the Young Prince marching towards him.

"Prince Eren...?" He said, flashing him a smile in the hopes of trying to calm him. "What a pleasant surprise! I was just-"

"Oh I know exactly what you were doing!" Eren interrupted, folding his arms as he glared up at the other. "Stealing from this poor old man! Have you no shame?! Why don't you pick on someone your own size for once?!" The tall blond male blinked a few times, surprised by how annoyed Eren was. Levi stared up at the brunet through his darkened glasses, amazed at what he was seeing. It was really him, and he was defending what he thought to be a poor old man in need. All Levi wanted to do right now was just grab him and kiss him, but he knew he couldn't, not matter how much he wanted to. Infact, there were two things he wanted to do, and beating the shit out of Reiner was one of them, but he had to stay in disguise ofcourse. As he looked up at the angry Prince beside him, he couldn't help but smile beneath the red scarf wrapped over his mouth which he had borrowed from Mikasa, the newest member of his team. Reiner shook his head to compose himself before bowing his head.

"I apologise, Your Highness..." He said calmly, before turning to walk away from the three. "If you will excuse me." With that, he left. The last thing he needed was for the Prince to be on his tail. Eren watched Reiner angrilly until he was out of sight before turning back to Levi.

"I'm so sorry about him, let me reimburse you for what he took." He said politely, reaching into his pocket to pull out a large handful of coins. Levi instantly shook his head, taking a step back.

"O-Oh there is no need, Your Highn-"

"I insist!" Eren said stubbornly, taking hold of one of the others hands and placing a the handful of money into them. "Here, take it. You need it more than I." Levi finally gave in and nodded his head in thanks.

"You are too kind..." He said softly, placing them into his small money bag.

"Is there anything else you need help with?" The brunet asked him, moving to hand him his walking stick which had fallen on the floor as he smiled politely at him. "Anything at all?" Levi shook his head, holding the stick carefully.

"Oh no, it's quite alright, i'm fine." He replied, adjusting the glasses to make sure Eren wouldn't see his eyes. "I hear you haven't visited Nottingham in a long time... What brings you here?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"I came back as an order from Prince Jean." Eren replied, shrugging his shoulders before looking around again with a frown. "It's changed so much... What happened here?"

"Well after Prince Jean was left in charge, we became destitute..." Levi explained, staring off in no particular direction. "He has taken every penny from the poor people of this town, leaving our poorest villagers to die of starvation..." Armin, who had been listening silently, couldn't help but frown as he listened to the old man. At the beginning, he thought Prince Jean was a good person, but after listening to Eren and Levi, he didn't think that way anymore. This was heartbreaking.

"That's awful!" Eren said sadly, letting out a sigh. "I wish I could do something to help. But atleast you have someone looking out for you all, right?"

"Oh you mean Ackerman Hood?" Levi asked, tilting his head in question. Eren nodded.

"Yes, him."

"Well he has been a great help to us..." The raven male replied before biting his lip, looking away. "But not everyone sees him as a hero."

"I do." Eren said almost instantly, making Levi's eyes go wide behind his glasses. "I think he's amazing..." The shorter male turned to look up at him, his heart doing flips as he listened to his words. Eren thought he was amazing? He instantly began to think over whether Eren still cared about him, maybe he still had a chance. Just seeing that bright smile on his face made him start to blush. He could feel his cheeks reddening.

"Right... Uh..." He mumbled, looking down and pulling his borrowed scarf a little higher over his face. "I think it's time I headed home, thank you for the company, Your Highness." He said before walking off in a hurry in the direction of the forest.

"Not at all." Eren replied, watching him leave. He smiled in delight, feeling very proud of himself at that moment. Atleast he had made a difference to one person's day. He soon headed back in the direction of the castle, Armin following close behind.

"Eren?" The blond called.

"Yeah, Armin?" Eren replied, glancing back at him.

"Did you notice that old man didn't even use his stick to guide his way back?" Armin asked, pointing back in the direction where the old man walked away. Eren raised an eyebrow at the question, not really understanding why Armin would want to make such a point. Maybe he didn't need it all the time? Perhaps he carried it just incase one day he did need it.

"So?"

"And that he was looking straight at you earlier?!" Armin continued, throwing his arms up with a groan. "He wasn't blind!" He shouted, making Eren stop in his tracks, eyes widening as he thought it all over. Armin was right! Now that he came to think of it, he was looking straight up at him! Not to mention he didn't even have one wrinkle on his face!

"But... Why would he..." He mumbled in thought before it all finally added up. His height, the familiar voice, it all led to one person. "Damn it!"


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Eren had returned to the castle, he was intent on giving "Prince" Jean a piece of his mind. How dare he treat his people like this? Not to mention he was annoyed at himself for not realising that was Levi under that disguise. Maybe it was because he couldn't see those unmistakeable eyes? He wasn't sure. All that he was concerned about right at that moment was confronting Jean. He marched his way towards the great hall, leaving poor Armin desperately trying to keep up about thirty steps behind while calling out protests. Without even knocking, he opened the door and marched inside, heading straight for Prince Jean who seemed to be having new robes fitted for him.

"What gives you the right to steal from my people?!" Eren questioned angrilly, fists balled at his sides. Jean looked up from his clothes and towards Eren with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Steal?" The Prince stepped down from his small stool and handed the cloth to the tailor. "What do you mean by that?" Eren rolled his eyes at the other claim of innocence. Jean really did frustrate him.

"You know exactly what I mean! You have been taking innocent people's money! Down to their last penny!" Jean just chuckled faintly and shrugged his shoulders, not at all phased.

"I am merely taking what they owe." He explained calmly, failing to see how he was doing any wrong. "Every person in every village, in every country in the world pays taxes, it's normal." Eren scoffed.

"This isn't normal! You are just a greedy horse faced bastard who wants to bleed them dry!" A small chuckle came from the doorway.

"Oh Eren, that is no way to talk to your future husband, now is it?" Bertoldt said in a slightly taunting tone, walking to stand beside the Prince.

"H-Husband?" Eren practically stuttered out, baffled while Jean merely grinned and gave a thankful nod towards his Royal Advisor for reminding him of the discussion they had just an hour earlier.

"Ah yes, I was just about to get to that, thank you Bertoldt."

"What are you talking about?!" Eren snapped, demanding to know where this insane idea was coming from.

"Well, Eren. It seems for me Nottingham to have a proper King, I must have a bride. That's where you come in." Jean explained, smirking proudly to himself. Eren was unamused, blinking in disbeleif. Was he really hearing this?

"You have go to be kidding." Jean shook his head.

"I am not kidding. I am not pleased with this either but you are my only option since you are the only eir to the late King Grisha. So if I am going to be King, we have to be married."

"I will never marry you!" Eren snapped angrilly, glaring at the wannabe Royal.

"You won't have a choice, Eren. But I'll let you think about it for now, I will a week give you enough time?" Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. This arrogant asshole was really expecting him to agree to this? He had no chance.

"You bastard! Forget it! I will never let you marry me and I will definitely not let you have any chance of being King!" With that, he stormed out of the room and towards his own chambers, grumbling insults aimed towards Jean as he did so. There was no way he would marry Jean and he would do whatever it took to make sure he didn't become King, even if it meant leaving the Castle for good!

"He will find out sooner or later that it was a lie and he doesn't have to marry you, Your Highness." Bertoldt said matter of factly once he knew Eren was far enough away not to hear them. Jean simply chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, looking out the window at which was soon to be his Kingdom.

"Yes but by that time, it will be too late." He said simply, smiling to himself before his thoughts turned to someone not so amusing, more frustrating than anything. "Right now, I have my intentions set on catching this Hackerman Snood..." He grumbled, folding his arms.

"You mean Ackerman Hood?" A voice corrected from the doorway. Now that voice was one he'd recognise straight away.

"That too... Wait, when did you get back?" Prince Jean questioned, turning to look at Sherriff Reiner.

"I just got back a few minutes ago." The blond male replied. "After Prince Eren scolded me for taking money from people, I had to go to another part of the village so I wasn't seen by him again." He let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't like extra work as it was, but it was even worse that the young Prince he had his sights set on was angry with him.

"Was there any sign of Ackerman Hood?!" Jean questioned in almost a groan, not really caring about his excuses as he made his way to his throne, sitting himself down.

"None, Your Higness." Reiner said with a shake of his head. "I've heard he's been using disguises now." Jean let out an infuriated groan at hearing this.

"Damn it! What do I have to do to catch this guy?!" He practically growled, slamming his hands down on the armrests of his throne he sat in. "Bertoldt, you're my advisor! Think of something!" He demanded, throwing his arms up as he did so.

"We need to find a way to trap him, sir." Bertoldt said in suggestion, looking towards his irritated soon to be King. "Draw him in with something that would grab his attention straight away." Jean raised any eyebrow in interest.

"Like what?"

"How about an archery competition?"

"An archery competition?" Jean liked that idea, Ackerman was very skilled with a bow and arrow so only he would be the winner. It would lead Jean right to him with no escape. "And the prize?"

"Well it's a little known fact that Ackerman hood and Eren were childhood sweethearts, so how about a kiss from the Prince himself?" Now that caught Reiner's attention. This was his chance to get a kiss from Eren. With that, he snuck away, hoping to practice his archery skills. This would ofcourse take some time as he was a terrible shot. Jean let out a small cheer, clearly very impressed with this idea. Now this was exactly why he hired Bertoldt. He was outstanding!

"That's brilliant! He'll be so intent on getting to Eren that he won't even realise he'll be a sitting duck!" He exclaimed, a mischevious smile on his lips. "Reiner! Get servants to spread the wor-... Where did he go?" He blinked, looking around for the Sherriff.

...

"So Eren didn't recognise you at all?" Erwin asked the smaller male as they made their way back to their hideout in the Forest. It had been a busy day but they had managed to deliver packages of money to each and every household in the village without Reiner suspecting a thing. Now all they wanted to do was sit down and relax for the night.

"Nope, so Petra's disguise was pretty well thought out." He replied with a shake of his head before removing the scarf from around his neck and handing it back to Mikasa, who was following close behind with Hanji. The brunett female had an excited grin on her face, this only made Levi uncomfortable. Whenever she made a face like that, she had some crazy plan. She quickened her step so she could walk beside Levi, giggling excitedly.

"Well if it fools loverboy, then it will be easy to break into the castle and sweep him off his -"

"Not happening, Hanji!" Levi interrupted her bluntly with a flick of his hand, dismissiing her suggestion etirely. The brunette began to pout.

"Aww but-"

"Levi!" Petra called, running towards the group and succesfully interrupting Hanji once again. "Levi look! Prince Jean is holding an archery tournament! You could win that with your eyes closed!" She chimed cheerfuly, handing Levi the poster she'd found on a tree in the village. Levi glanced at the poster in his hand with little interest, this really wasn't something he wanted to be involved in right now.

"I think i'll pass." He mumbled, handing it back to a clearly surprised Petra. Did he really just turn down an achery tournament with a prize?! "That place will be crawling with soldiers."

"But the prize-"

"I can just steal the idiots belonging's back at the Castle while he's gone."

"Finally! Castle break in! Yahoo!" Hanji cheered, leaping into the air in the process.

" But Levi-"

"I'll work out everything you need to know! You can organise who goes where and when!" Hanji added, an excited look in her eyes.

"Levi!" Petra yelled louder than she'd hoped to, causing the group to look at her.

"What is it, Petra?!" Levi questioned with a small groan.

"Eren is going to be there! And he is offering a kiss to the winner!"

"A kiss to the winner?!" The rest of the group seemed to gasp in unison before turning to look at a wide eyed Levi, seemingly contemplating his next move. He stood there in a silence for a few seconds before finally speaking and shrugging his shoulders.

"Change of plan, we are going to the tournament." He said, moving to gather his bow and arrow, making sure they were in tact.

"But Levi! You just said it yourself! That place will be crawling with soldiers!" Erwin protested, starting to get concerned with the situation. Levi was letting his heart rule his head at this point and it couldn't end well.

"Then Petra can make me another disguise, right Petra?" Levi simply said, glancing back at the female who nodded with a bright smile.

"Ofcourse!" She replied cheerfully.

"With a good disguise, those dumb bastards will have no idea it's me." Levi said proudly, getting to his feet and grabbing his bow. "Just you wait, Erwin." He said before grabbing an arrow from the satchel and aiming at a an apple in the tall males hand and shooting, sending the arrow straight towards the apple and making both the apple and the arrow hit a tree. "This will be my greatest performance~"


	6. Chapter 6

The archery tournament was held in a huge field just outside the castle grounds. The event was huge, much to expected from someone as extravagant and boastful as Prince Jean. A large stage was built for said Prince, decorated with large red curtains and painted in a light brown, small little golden patterned details added for good measure. Even his throne was placed atop, he was obviously not prepared to sit just anywhere. Next to his throne were three not so regal seats for both Eren, Bertholdt and Armin, who Eren had insisted would be seated with them. Prince Jean's royal guard, Annie stood behind him, keeping out for any sign of a certain hooded outlaw.

"Do you see anything yet, Annie?" Jean asked, not looking back towards the soldier but instead towards the crowds, scanning them for any sign of the man he was desperate to get his hands on. Annie looked around for a few more seconds before shaking her head and replying.

"Not yet, Sire." She answered, making him groan in displeasure.

"Where is he?" He practically growled, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his throne.

"Do not forget how careful Hood is, Sire." Bertholdt said, trying to calm his highness. "He is sure to try and use some kind of disguise." Jean groaned at the thought, wondering why he didn't think of that possibility.

"Good point, but how do we hope to recognise him?" He asked, punching his fist on the arm rest in annoyance.

"Ah, but we have a secret weapon, Sire." Bertholdt stated proudly, pointing towards Eren who had just stepped off the carriage that had just brought him to the event and making his way to the stage with Armin.

"Eren?" Jean was puzzled, how would that annoying little brat be any kind of weapon? Ackerman Hood did allegedly have feelings for him but it was very unlikely that Eren would tell them which contender was him.

"The young prince is sure to recognise his childhood sweetheart." Bertholdt replied, a small grin tugging at his lips. "He will be drawn to him, hoping he will win, which of course he will. Then when he comes here to accept his prize-"

"He will be all mine!" Jean interrupted with a jolt of excitement. "Bertholdt, you are a genius! I knew there was a reason I chose you to be my advisor."

"Why thank you, Sire." His royal advisor replied with a small chuckle.

Meanwhile, Eren had stopped mid way to the stage when he suddenly stopped and bit his lip, looking down at his clothing he'd chosen specially for this occasion. He had chosen to wear his best outfit, consisting of cream leather trousers, boots in a dark shade of brown, a off white shirt, a very expensive and detailed red waistcoat and a burgundy cape. It might have seemed a little excessive to anyone else, but he wanted to look good for when Levi turned up. It was clear to anyone who knew Eren that he was anxious about this. He didn't know what to expect, afterall, the last time he saw Levi, he didn't even get a chance to ask him anything. How did he feel about him? Did he still love him? Was he even single?

"Oh, i'm not sure about this, Armin." Eren mumbled nervously. Armin stopped and looked back at him in concern.

"Why? What's wrong?" He asked. Eren sighed deeply before he replied.

"What if he doesn't feel the same? How am I going to ask him with Jean sat right next to me? How will I even recognise him? What if-"

"Eren! Calm down." Armin exclaimed, grabbing his hands to snap him out of his nervous rant. "He promised you'd always be together right?" He asked calmly.

"Right. But-"

"And you recognised him last time you saw him, right?" Eren nodded, biting lip. "And how?" The brunette thought for a moment before replying with a soft smile as he thought about the one thing he could always recognise him by.

"His eyes…" He said softly.

"Exactly. You have nothing to worry about." Armin said with a smile before tugging the Prince's hand and leading him towards the stage so they could both sit down. "Levi is clever, he will make sure you recognise him, even when nobody else can't."

Levi watched the pair from the nearby bunch of trees, hidden from sight. A small grin on his lips as he listened to the conversation between the two. Eren still had feelings for him, maybe even loved him. If he wasn't such a cool and calm person, he may have leapt with joy, but that's all he need was to draw attention to himself of just scare his team with such unusual behavior. He thought perhaps he should save that kind of personality for his disguise. He looked down at his outfit, wondering if maybe he shouldn't have taken Hanji's advise when it came to disguises, considering now he was meant to pretend to be a woman. He had borrowed one of Petra's long green dresses, which just about reached his ankles. It had a corset attached to it which was cinched to give the illusion of a female waistline, which made Levi slightly uncomfortable and short of breath. Much to Hanji's disapproval, he had worn his normal clothes underneath, refusing to leave his legs bare.

"Here you go, Levi!" Hanji chimed, shoving a long brown wig atop of his head, making the other wave his arms in protest and earning Hanji a slap on the cheek. She yelped in protest and stepped back. "Ouch! Levi that hurt!"

"What did you expect? You rammed this thing on my head!"

"Thing?!" Hanji gasped, looking offended but that comment. "Levi, I stole that from a rich noble! I spent ages brushing out all those curls and pins!" She protested, pouting at the other who just rolled his eyes and shifted the wig on his head to make it look more convincing.

"You make an attractive woman, Levi~" Erwin teased as he made his way to the two with a soft chuckle. "Maybe you should forget Eren and find yourself a wealthy husband~?"

"Shut up, you idiotic bastard." Levi snapped grumpilly, trying to adjust his fake breasts which were just two apples placed underneath the dress he wore. "What are you wearing anyway?" He questioned Hanji who stood in front of him in some kind of big poofy dress adorn with flowers and lace.

"I also stole this from the nobles~" She chimed proudly, swishing the skirt back and forth in her hands.

"Why?" Levi questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.

"You need a distraction right?" Hanji replied before posing, with a flick of her hand. "Well here she is! Lady Historia~ Heir to the Reiss fortune and eighth in for the German throne!"

"Does Germany even have a royal family?" Petra asked, making Hanji turn to her with a scowl.

"Of Course they do!"

"Whatever you say." Levi groaned, turning away from the others and making his way out of the trees. "I need to go and sign my name on the contestants list."

"Good luck, Levi." Petra called, waving at him.

"Be careful." Erwin added, watching as the other headed straight towards Sheriff Reiner who was inspecting his arrows for any marks. Levi couldn't resist going to him and making his presence known to the idiotic Sheriff. He was far too stupid to recognise him after all.

"Sheriff Reiner!" Levi called in the most feminine voice he could muster and grabbing the man's hand, shaking it vigorously. "Meeting you Sir face to face is a real treat!"

"Uhm okay?" Reiner, who was obviously confused, pulling his hand away, rubbing it slightly. The handshake causing his hand to ache. "Who are you?"

"Sasha Braus!" Levi replied excitedly, giggling. "I'm here to compete!"

"You? A girl?" Reiner snorted, looking her up and down. Levi looked down at his now feminine figure and shrugged.

"Huh… Looks like I am a girl." He said almost sarcastically. "But yes, I am competing! Although i'm not so keen on getting that kiss, just the gold coins you get along with it. Just imagine all the meat I could buy with all that money~!"

"O...kay…" Reiner was officially creeped out by that, the way 'she' salivated at the thought of spending all her money on meat, he didn't understand this 'woman'. "I need to go… over there." He said before turning on his heels and walking away faster than he expected to. Levi chuckled faintly, obviously proud of the way Reiner had reacted before mumbling so only he himself could hear.

"Not so clever now are you, Sherriff?"

~X~X~X~X~

Once everyone was signed up for the competition, it was time for each contestant to greet Prince Jean and the person who they hoped to win a kiss from, Eren. Each competitor lined up and said greeted their Royal host, pressing a kiss to Eren's hand before moving aside for the next person. Levi was the last to go and of course, kept up the facade by excitedly giggling and curtseying to Prince Jean.

"Prince Jean~ Meeting you face to face is such an honour~" He arose and held his hand out to Eren who took it, allowing him to press a kiss on his hand. "Meeting you, young Prince is even more of an honour. Let's hope I win that kiss, hm?" He practically purred, looking up at the other and winking at him. As soon as Eren looked at those eyes, his heart skipped as beat as he gasped softly. It was him, just like Armin had predicted, Eren recognised those glistening eyes, it was Levi standing before him. He felt his cheeks blush a little so he covered his cheeks slightly with his hand, clearing his throat.

"Th-thank you, young lady." He said, chuckling faintly. "I wish you luck…" He leaned in slightly and whispered softly for only the raven haired male to hear. "With all my heart~"


	7. Chapter 7

Hanji had been watching amongst the trees, waiting for her chance to head over to Prince Jean and play the part of the distraction. Once she saw Levi walk away from the stage and join the other contestants, she decided to make her move. "Looks like it's my turn to make a dramatic entrance~" She said, grinning.

"Please be careful, Hanji." Petra pleaded, obviously nervous that this plan wasn't going to work.

"Aren't I always?" Hanji said with a shrug of her shoulders before making her way towards the stage where Prince Jean was sitting, waiting. Bertholdt had been watching Eren's interaction with the competitor named Sasha and noticed just how Eren seemed to be looking at her. He even noticed the young Prince's blush on his cheeks, even when he tried to hide it. From what he had heard about Ackerman Hood, the so called female seemed to be the right height and build to be the man in disguise, this 'woman' seemed to be the most likely candidate. Once he was almost certain, leant towards Prince Jean in order to get his attention.

"Sire, I think I know who-"

"Ah! Wunderbar!" Chimed a female voice, cutting Bertholdt off and gaining the wannabe king's attention instead. Jean looked towards the woman stood before him, hair tied up in a tight bun, a bonnet atop of her head and wearing a very expensive looking yellow dress. "The head man himself! The most presteiged sovereign of the realm~ You're beautiful.~" Jean began to smile, letting out a light bashful chuckle.

"What a charming young lady~" He said, glancing at his royal advisor who sat beside him. "Did you hear that, Bertholdt? She called me beautiful." Bertholdt nodded his head, slightly puzzled by this woman's sudden appearance.

"I did Sire but I need to-"

"Who are you, miss?" Jean asked, interrupting the other once more.

"I am Lady Historia~" Hanji replied, curtseying. "Heir to the Reiss fortune and eighth in line for the German throne."

"German you say?" The Prince repeated, grinning. "Interesting. Please do sit down." He gestured for her to step up onto the stage. She nodded her head, looking at the three seats in front of her which were taken.

"Thank you Sire, where shall I sit?"

"You can take Bertholdt's seat." Said advisors eyes flew wide in surprise, looking towards Jean.

"Sire?" He protested.

"You heard me, move for the Lady." Jean ordered, glaring at him. "Go make yourself useful and look for you know who."

"You heard him, schlaksig. Move along." Hanji said, stepping up onto the stage and waiting for Bertholdt to move before taking the seat next to Prince Jean.

"Yes, Your Highness…" The dark haired servant said as he stepped off the stage and into the crowds in search of any other suspicious characters hanging around the grounds. Bertholdt had never felt so insulted in all his life. Some woman just turns up out of the blue, robs him of his seat and then has the nerve to insult him? Nobody ever insulted him in the fear that Prince Jean would punish them for it. "Schlaksig? Lanky? Who does she think she is?!" As Bertholdt passed a nearby food tent for the guests and out of view, Petra, Erwin and Ymir poked their heads out from behind the tent one atop of the other, watching the Royal advisor.

"We better keep an eye on him." Petra said, glaring at the man.

"Agreed." Erwin replied with a nod of his head, looking down at the head at the bottom of the row. "What do you suggest?" Petra thought about it but couldn't think of anything. She looked up at Ymir, the middle head for her input. Ymir looked around for a while until she noticed a very large barrel of Ale.

"How about we put him in there?" She suggested, pointing to the barrel. Erwin grinned, catching onto her idea and nodded his head in agreement.

"Great idea." He said, following both the girls to the barrel and lifting the lid. It was only half full, not enough to drown him but enough to make it very uncomfortable for him to sit in. "Perfect. Let's go catch a rat."

~X~X~X~X~

"Attention, attention!" The announcer chanted, aiming to get the attention of both spectators and competitors. "The tournament for the twenty pieces of gold will now begin!" The crowds began to cheer as each contestant aimed and fired their arrows at their targets, none managing to hit a bullseye, but of course, Reiner and Levi hadn't had their turn yet. A shorter man with round lens glasses aimed next and with a sudden sneeze, he accidentally fired off target and took off the hat of a nearby guard, scaring him half to death. The man's son, who was stood in the crowd jumped up and down cheered.

"Yay dad!"

Sheriff Reiner was next to shoot. With a shaky aim, he fired and hit just outside the bullseye in the red of the target, earning a boo from the crowds. Of Course nobody was going to cheer for him. Afterall, he was the one who was sent to take all their, keeping some of it for himself. The only person who would possibly be cheering for him was his own mother. But sadly, he taken even had to take taxes off his mother the day before she was joining in with the booing. Next up was 'Sasha' who with a smug grin, aimed and fired, hitting the bullseye effortlessly. The crowds instantly began to cheer for the contestant, even Eren began to cheer and clap, smiling brightly.

"A perfect bullseye?" Jean said to himself, tapping his chin in thought. "Well, well~" Hanji let out a small chuckle and nudged the Prince.

"That's some sharp shooting, right, Sire?" She said, earning a nod from the other.

"I'm going to win that money!" Levi chimed, dancing around excitedly and trying to keep up the character of 'Sasha'. Plus it was fun to see the annoyed look on the Sheriff's face. "Then i'm going to kiss that Prince and then i'm gonna-"

"Listen, kid." Reiner interrupted, getting annoyed that the 'girl' was disrupting his shot with her outbursts. "If you shoot half as good as you blabbermouth, you'd be better than Ackerman Hood."

"Ackerman Hood?!" Levi gasped in fake surprise, taking a few steps back. "Wow!" He cried, tapping the others arm, once again ruining his concentration. "I may be good, but i'll never be as good as he is!" With that, he took another aim and the target and unsurprisingly hit the bullseye once more, causing Reiner to stand their with his mouth wide open in disbelief.

"Hah!" Hanji started with a grin, pointing towards Levi. "That kid's got class!"

"Indeed he does, Historia, my dear." Jean replied in agreement, grinning to himself. The pieces were all starting to come together. Only one person could shoot like that and it was Ackerman Hood. All Jean had to do was wait for him to win the tournament and he'd be his. He could kill him right there on the spot, in front of all his subjects. "Bravo!" He cheered, clapping his hands slightly.

~X~X~X~X~

About twenty minutes passed before the final two contestants were to be chosen. The announcer called to get everyone's attention once more.

"Attention everyone! The final contestants are the honourable Sheriff of Nottingham!" With that announcement, everyone began to boo, making the Sheriff huff in annoyance, much like a spoilt brat. "And Sasha Braus from Herefordshire!" The crowds cheered for Levi as he waved to them, a bright smile on his face. He then turned to blow a kiss at Eren who eagerly waved back with his very own bright smile on his features, genuinely excited for the result. Jean looked to him with a grin and cleared his throat to get her attention.

"I see you favour hyperactive youth hm?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. Eren bit his lip, looking away with another small blush appearing on his cheeks. "Uh… Why yes I do! A-At Least she amuses me…" Jean chuckled, sitting back in his throne with a sadistic grin on his face.

"Coincidentally, my boy, she amuses me too."

"For the final round, the target will be moved back 30 paces." The announcer explained as both Levi and Reiner prepared themselves for their chance to win it all. Once the target was moved back, Reiner took his turn and aimed. He took a breath and was in full concentration, about to shoot, when the man from earlier sneezed, scared him and caused him to shoot when he wasn't ready. Luckily for him, it was a perfect bullseye, much to the dismay of both Eren and the crowds of people who booed at him for about the forth time today.

Erwin, Petra and Ymir, who were slightly damp from the ale and the struggle from earlier, stood in the crowd, still slightly hidden and awaited for Levi's turn.

"Please miss..." Petra whispered, silently praying that he would lose and that he wouldn't be put in any danger. She still had a feeling something would go wrong and someone would end up getting hurt, or worse, killed. The most likely person being Levi since he was out in the open.

Levi stepped up for his final shot, aiming at the target as the thoughts of Eren going through his head. If he won, he wouldn't even need the money, he'd give it to the poor people of Nottingham, maybe saving a little for Eren who he planned to propose to after they ran away together. That kiss kept circling his head, it was all he could think about. He was going to win for Eren, and for once, for himself instead of others. He took his shot, but Reiner bumped him, making him send the arrow flying into the air. That was it, that was his shot gone up in smoke. In a panic, he shot another arrow, hitting the first one and sending it plummeting down and heading straight for the target. It hit it with such force that it went straight through Reiner's arrow and hit the bullseye, earning the loudest cheer anyone had heard all day. Jean smirked evilly, giving a nod to the announcer who whispered something into the guards ears who then passed it onto the rest of the soldiers.

Within minutes, Levi was guided to the stage but the soldiers as he skipped his way towards his prize who was smiling at him so excitedly. The bands played all of the way until he reached the stage where Jean stood, ready to address 'Sasha'.

"Archer, I commend you." He began which Levi just locked eyes with Eren who was staring back into his. "And for you superior skill, you shall get what is… coming to you" Levi hadn't even noticed the tone in the Royal's voice as he kept his attention, only really noticing the Prince was talking to him after his last sentence. "Our Royal congratulations."

"Ah, thank you, Your Highness!" He chimed, shaking his hand vigorously like he did with the Sheriff earlier. "Hearing that from you is-"

"Release the Royal hand!" Jean snapped, snatching back his hand and rubbing it. "Ahem…" He just managed to cool himself down in time to reach for his sword, ready to honour Levi who gladly bowed down ready. "I know name you the winner. Or more appropriately…" He couldn't help but chuckle as he cut down the back of the dress, even severing the strings of the corset and revealing Levi's normal clothes beneath. "The loser!" He then grabbed the wig and pulled it off his head, revealing to everyone who he actually was and making the whole crowd gasp and shake their heads in shock. With a smug grin, he set down his sword and ordered. "Seize him."

Before Levi even had the chance to run, every single guard was on him, tying him up tightly and standing him before the Prince. Seeing this ending very badly, Hanji got to her feet and left the stage, disappearing. Eren stood there in both disbelief and sheer terror. The man he loved had just been found out and captured before him. What was Jean going to do to him? It didn't take long for his question to be answered when Jean suddenly announced.

"I sentence you to sudden, instant and even IMMEDIATE DEATH!" He yelled, hands slamming down on the barriers. Eren's heart broke at that moment, the thought of losing Levi again was just too much. With tears in his eyes, he knelt down in front of Jean and pleaded to him.

"Jean please..." He pleaded. "I beg of you to spare his life! Please, have mercy!"

"My dear boy, why should I?" He snorted with a flick of his hand, dismissing the boys pleas.

"Because I love him!" The brunette cried, wiping away his tears.

"Love him?" Jean gasped, blinking in surprise. "And does this prisoner return your love?" Eren looked to Levi with hopeful eyes, tears running down his cheeks. Levi looked back at him, his heart wrenching at the sight of Eren looking so distraught and scared.

"Eren…" He said softly. "I love you more than life itself." Eren began to smile a little, knowing that Levi did, in fact feel the same making his heart beat that little bit faster.

"Ah, young love." Jean sighed as Armin held the young Prince's hand to comfort him as he stared at the man he loved in front of him. "Your pleas have not fallen upon a heart of stone, but traitors to the crown must die!"

"Traitor to the crown?!" Levi yelled, cutting him off. "That crown belongs to King Grisha, you pathetic bastard! LONG LIVE KING GRISHA!"

"LONG LIVE KING GRISHA!" The crowds repeated, making Jean even angrier.

"ENOUGH!" He practically screamed. "I am king! KING!" He cried in protest, hopping up and down and throwing his fists around like a toddler. "Off with his head!"

"NO!" Eren cried, standing up and going to leap over and save him when Annie grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. "Get off me!" He yelled, wriggling in her grasp and the executioner edged closer to Levi, axe in hand. "Levi!"


	8. Chapter 8

"STOP!" Jean screamed suddenly, making everyone turn to him. "Executioner stop! Hold your axe!" He demanded, an alarmed look on his face.

"Okay, listen here." Hanji hissed as she held Jeans collar, hiding behind the large red curtains and holding a knife to his back. "Tell them to untie Ackerman Hood or so help me…" She poked the knife a little closer to his back, earning a shriek from the cowardly Prince.

"EEK! U-Untie Hackerman Snood-i mean… Untie the prisoner!"

"Untie the prisoner?" Reiner repeated in question, blinking. Hanji poked the knife further, cutting the fabric of his clothes.

"Let him go! For heaven's sake let him go!" Jean cried, almost tearing up at this point.

"Levi!" Eren called, escaping Annie's grip and leaping down from the stage and into the raven haired males arms. "I thought I was going to lose you again."

"Never again, I promise you." Levi replied assuringly, hugging him close.

"Now then, Princey." Hanji continued, holding her tight grip on the back of his shirt. Annie had snuck around the back of the stage, suspecting something weird to be going on when she heard Hanji talking. "Tell my buddy to kiss Eren or you'll be my new pin cushion."

"Hands off, peasant!" Annie demanded, drawing her sword and swiping at Hanji who quickly spun around to block her attack, letting go of Jean. Seeing his chance, Jean sprang to his feet and yelled to his guards.

"Kill him! Don't just stand there, kill him!" Guards in every direction began to run at Levi who instantly began to push Eren away.

"Run!"

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Eren protested, holding his hand. "We do this together." Levi sighed and nodded in agreement, holding his hands tight, accepting his fate, whatever it may be, but he did hope that somehow his teammates would make a dramatic entrance and come to his rescue somehow.

Luckily for him, Ymir, Erwin and Petra were still amongst the crowd and ready to come to his and Eren's rescue. "That's our cue!"

"I'll go help Hanji!" Petra said as she ran to her aid.

"We'll go save Levi and Eren!" Erwin added, gesturing for the others to follow him. The group ran through the crowds of guards and surrounded around Levi and Eren like a protective barrier.

"Erwin! Ymir!" Levi gasped, smirking at them. Erwin handed Levi his sword before replying.

"Here to help!" Levi took said sword and stood in front of Eren, protecting him as the guards surrounded them all.

"I was beginning to think we were doomed." He said with a small smirk.

"You really think we'd leave you hanging?" Ymir asked, winking at him. Levi shrugged his shoulders, his smirk beginning to get wider.

"For a second, I had my doubts." With that, noise erupted as Levi and his group began to battle the guards as Jean stood atop of his throne, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"KILL THEM YOU IDIOTS!" His arms were flailing at his sides from the effort.

Petra and Hanji had managed to lose Annie through the crowds of people and had arrived just in time to see the fights break out. Petra couldn't help but snigger at the wannabe Prince hopping up and down like a spoilt brat. She nudged Hanji and gestured to him

"I'm just gonna go and shut him up." Hanji looked at the bratty Prince and laughed softly.

"Alright, i'll go join in the party." Before Petra could even reply, Hanji had sprinted to the crowds and practically dived in the middle of them, yelling. "YAHOO!"

Petra laughed at the sight of her eager comrade and ran toward the stage. Jean saw her coming and grabbed his own sword, aiming it at her. Considering Jean had never even had any training with using a sword, it didn't take long for Petra to disarm him.

"No, don't hurt me!" He pleaded, practically shrieking out the words. He then began to retreat, hiding behind his throne. "Bertholdt! You're never around when I need you!" He yelled from behind the throne, once again waving his arms around.

"There's too many of them!" Erwin yelled from inside the battle, looking around at his comrades and fighting off any attacks from guards, narrowly missing a swipe from an axe to the head.

"We need to get out of here!" Ymir yelled, agreeing with Erwin. The group began to retreat towards the forest, the guards following close behind. The crowds of villagers stood nearby, waiting for their cue from none other than Krista. Upon seeing the woman she loved in danger, she decided to round up the villagers and come up with a plan. So there she stood while to sets of people stood near two large tents, holding onto the strings holding them up. Even Armin had joined in to help after seeing all the villagers run off to their aid. They then waited patiently for Levi and the other to pass through between the two tents.

"Ready everyone?" Once Krista was sure everyone was out of the way, she yelled. "Now!" The villagers let go of the ropes, watching as both tents collapsed on top of the guards, trapping them underneath the fabric. They then proceeded to wrap the ropes around, effectively tying them down.

"Well done everyone!" She praised, smiling proudly to herself. "That should hold them for a while." Hearing the commotion behind them, the group of outlaws and Eren stopped, turning to find out what had happened. Armin ran straight to Eren from the crowd, giggling excitedly.

"That felt good!" He said, hugging his friend. "I can come with you right?"

Ymir looked around at the sight, blinking in sheer surprise at what the villagers had just done for them and that's when she saw the girl stood before them, guiding them.

"Krista?"

"Ymir!" The blond cried in relief, running to hug her tightly. Ymir was so pleased to see her, he gladly returned the hug and lifted her chin to press a kiss on her lips. "Let me come with you!" Krista pleaded, but Ymir sighed and shook her head.

"Not yet baby, but soon, I promise." She said, stroking her cheek gently. Of course she wanted to take Krista with her, more than anything, but considering everything that was happening, it wouldn't be safe for her yet.

"Uhm… Levi…?" Petra stuttered out, making him and the others look to where the girl was now pointing. Hundreds of shoulders were in the distance, running straight for them, the thundering of their feet and the sounds of their yelling echoing loudly even from that distance. Levi swallowed hard.

"Time to go!" He announced, voice cracking slightly. He grabbed Eren's hand, running as fast as he could towards the forest.

"On second thoughts, maybe now is the right time! Come on!"

"Run for it!" Armin shrieked, running for his life.

"Everyone to the forest!" Erwin ordered, guiding the others towards the trees they were hiding in earlier. "We can lose them through the trees!" The others did as they were told including Ymir and Krista. Levi had just reached the trees having let go of Eren's hand in order to shoot arrows at any nearby guards. Eren was just about to go through the forest to safety when he suddenly stopped. What was he doing? Was he really going to run away into the forest and abandon his people just to be with the man he loved? Was he being selfish? Maybe he should go back, be the distraction and face the concequences? His thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed him from behind and a held a knife to his throat.

"Not so fast! Don't you want your Prince?" A female voice called out to Levi, making him turn and see Annie holding back Eren at knife point.

"Get your hands off him you piece of horse shit…" He hissed, drawing his sword and striding towards her, a murderous look in his eyes.

"Come get him short stuff." Annie taunted before tossing Eren aside, making him fall to his knees while she proceeded to sword fight with Levi.

"Eren, run!" Levi yelled out as he fought with the blonde. Eren did as he was told and got to his feet, running to Armin's side and through the trees to safety. Erwin and Petra waited nearby, just incase Levi got into trouble.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you." Levi then turned his back to her, going to join the others. Annie was furious that she had been beaten and with one last stitch attempt to kill the other, she pulled the dagger from the her thigh holster and lunged at the other.

"Levi look out!" Petra cried, running as fast as her feet could take her, there was no way she was going to let the man she secretly loved die after all this. She had to save him, no matter the cost. She quickly stepped between Annie and Levi, who turn around just in time to watch in horror as Petra was stabbed straight through the stomach.

"Petra…" He murmured in shock as Annie pulled out the dagger. He quickly caught her in his arms, falling to his knees from the weight. "Petra?" He called to her, she looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"I-I couldn't let you die…" She coughed out, reaching a shaky hand up to touch his cheek. "I-I love you, Levi." Levi looked at her, his heart breaking at the sight of one of his best friends dying in his arms. How didn't he know that she loved him? She'd kept it secret all this time and now she'd taken a dagger for him.

"Petra I-" Before he could even finish, Petra's hand fell from his face and at her side, her eyes closing. She was gone. Annie chuckled darkly and gave Levi a wink before running off into the distance. "I'll kill her! I'll fucking kill her!" Levi screamed in rage, holding the girl close.

"Kill her later!" Erwin said, lifting Petra into his arms. "We need to go!" Hanji ran over and grabbed Levi's arm, pulling him away from the scene and to safety.


	9. Chapter 9

Night had fallen onto Nottingham and inside Sherwood Forest, a memorial was held for a fallen comrade and friend. A cross in the ground in front of a large Oak tree to signal where Petra was now resting. The group circled around it, having just finished taking turns saying a few words and now standing in silence, mourning their friend who had just given her life to save their leader. Levi had not taken his eyes off the spot from the minute she was buried there, unable to even say any final words about her. He was broken. Eren stood at his side, holding his hand tightly and doing his best to comfort him. He even said a few words about Petra on the other's behalf, hoping that would in some way help. But the brunette secretly blamed himself for Petra's death. Maybe if he hadn't stopped and just kept running. Levi wouldn't have ended up fighting Annie and Petra wouldn't have had to save him by sacrificing herself. Perhaps he just shouldn't have gone with Levi at all? Maybe if he had agreed to go with Annie, they would have had a better chance, not to mention he wouldn't have ended up abandoning his subjects like he did. Now they were at the full mercy of Prince Jean with nobody to defend them or protest against his orders.

"I really am selfish…" He thought to himself.

**~X~X~X~X~**

It was past midnight by the time Levi had fallen asleep, Eren laying next to him on his makeshift bed made of straw and cloth. Eren on the other hand could not sleep, he just kept thinking about what happened earlier, about Petra. He sighed deeply as he looked up at the sky filled with stars above them, wondering if wherever she was, whether she was at peace. A sound of snapping branches caused him to jump, his head turning to looked towards the location of the noise.

"Armin?" He said in a whisper, seeing the young male step from behind the trees, Erwins large cape wrapped around him to keep him warm.

"I went to get some water from the stream." He explained, quietly and carefully stepping over Hanji who was sleeping on the ground and taking a seat on a stump next to Eren's bed. "Can't sleep?" Eren shook his head in response.

"I guess it's the change of surroundings…" He mumbled softly, not wanting to wake the man sleeping next to him. He placed a hand on the raven haired males head, running his fingers gently through his hair with a small smile. He looked so peaceful when sleeping, he even smiled which was surprising for him considering his usual stoic attitude.

"Y'know, it's kind of peaceful…" Armin said with a contented sigh, leaning back and putting his weight on his hands. "Being out here, under the stars… Much better than being cooped up in that castle right?" Eren didn't reply, the mention of the castle just reminding of him of everything that he'd left behind and all the trouble he'd caused. Armin looked to him, beginning to worry about his friend. He looked so down. "Eren…?"

"It's all my fault, Armin." He mumbled sadly. "Petra's death… i'm to blame."

"What? Why do you think that?" Armin asked, placing a hand on his friends shoulder.

"If I hadn't stopped… If i hadn't hesitated, she'd still be alive."

"Eren, you can't blame yourself." The blond said with a shake of his head. "You didn't force Petra to do that… She chose to give her life for Levi. You would have done the same, right?" Eren bit his lip.

"Y-yes but-"

"And Levi doesn't blame you, he probably blames himself."

"He does?" Eren asked, looking towards his lover once more and frowning. Why would Levi blame himself? It's not like he caused any of it. "It's not his fault."

"And it's not yours either." Armin replied almost instantly. The brunette sighed and looked up at the sky again, staring up at the stars in thought. Armin also turned his attention to the stars and smiled softly. "Y'know what my dad used to tell me? He said that when we lose someone, they are never completely lost to us… He said that each star in the sky is a loved one watching over us. Maybe Petra's up there right now, giving us a row about being up so late?" He giggled softly at the thought, but Eren didn't even crack a smile. Armin sighed and gave his friend a small nudge. "Try getting some sleep, okay? Things will seem better in the morning, I promise." With that, Armin got to his feet and got back into his own bed Hanji had made for him earlier, it was time they both got some sleep.

"Goodnight, Eren." He said, wrapping himself up in Erwin's cape and drifting off to sleep.

"Night.." Eren replied, taking one last look up at the stars before laying back down on the bed and cuddling into Levi's chest, letting his eyes close. Maybe Armin was right, a good night's sleep was probably what he needed.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Levi was the first to wake up, the sun burning his eyes a little as he groaned softly. He shifted to stretch, only to feel another body pressed against his chest, stopping him from to sitting up. There was Eren, nestled into his chest like a cat cuddling into a warm and comfy pillow. With a soft smile, he placed a gentle kiss on the others forehead, causing the other to stir with a soft murmur. Eren slowly opened his eyes, finding Levi staring at him… was he smiling?

"Morning…" He whispered, his voice coming out slightly gravelly.

"Good morning." Levi replied softly, hoping not to wake the others. "Did you sleep well?" Eren shook his head. "Were you cold? You should've sai-" Eren bit his lip, shaking his head. Levi was confused by what he meant when he suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday and he then understood. Eren must have spent most of the night thinking about Petra's passing. "Oh… I see." Eren said nothing and just looked at the other sadly. Levi couldn't bear to see him like this so after sitting up and stretching, he clambered out of bed and held his hand out to Eren. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"A walk?" Eren repeated, not really understanding where Levi was going with this. "Where?" He asked, taking his hand and letting Levi help him to his feet.

"You'll see."

The two began to walk hand in hand through the forest as the brunette looked around at his surroundings. The forest really was calm and peaceful, much like he remembered from when they were kids. Back then, they used to spend everyday together and sometimes all day until it was dark, which then meant one of King Grisha's guards would end up going to find Eren and escort him back to the castle safely. Things were so much easier back then, before he had to leave Levi and the people he knew behind. He found himself wondering about what happened to Levi after they left and what had caused him to end up moving into the forest and becoming an outlaw. He didn't know anything about Levi's life after he left. Before he left, Levi lived a small little cottage with his mother. They didn't have any money but they were happy enough just by being with each other.

"Uhm Levi?" He called, looking towards the other who turned his head to him in response.

"I already told you, Eren." He said with a teasing smirk, thinking that the other was going to ask for around the fifth time where they were going. "You'll find out when we get there."

"No that's not what i was going to ask." He said with a small chuckle. "I was going to ask you about your mother." At the mention of his mother, Levi's smile vanished and he began to frown.

"She uh…" He began, clearing his throat as he tried not to get choked up. "She died."

"When? How?"

"It was probably a couple of months after you left..." He explained. "We were really struggling to cope and couldn't afford to buy enough food for both of us. Instead of feeding herself, she gave most of the food we had to me, which wasn't much. Most of the time she went without anything. Eventually she got so weak that she couldn't even get out of bed… I tried to earn money by doing work on the nearby farm, but it meant she was on her own most of the day. After a month, I had finally earned enough money to buy us some bread, so I rushed home to show her but when i got there… It was too late… she'd already gone…" Eren felt heartbroken for the other. He had no idea what had happened, even after he came back to Nottingham. Levi suffered all alone, without any family to comfort him. It made him feel a sharp pang of guilt for leaving him, the raven haired male needed someone back then and he wasn't there for him. Not to mention Kuchel was so kind to Eren, kind of like the mother he'd always wanted , considering his mother died when he was only 4 years old. She always greeted him with a bright smile whenever she saw him and was always there to talk if he felt down and or felt stressed from the pressures of being a Prince.

"Levi…I'm so sorry." He said softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as if to try and comfort him and let him know that he had someone to support him now. "How did you end up here?"

"Well, some kids found out about my mother's past and how I was a child from her uh...prostitution days." He explained, his hand squeezing Eren's own as he began to think back of the memory he'd tried to block out for so long. "They decided to take matters into their own hands."

***Flashback***

"What the hell are you doing?!" Levi cried as he tried to run to the blond haired boy who held a torch with a large flame in his hand. He tried to grab him but was instead grabbed by two other boys who held him back. "Stop! You can't do this! That's all I have left of my mother!" He protested, struggling in their grasp. The blond boy just laughed and looked back at Levi with a cruel grin.

"We're doing you a favour, filth." He taunted. "Why would you want anything to remind you of your whore mother?"

"Reiner, please!" The raven haired boy begged, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm begging you, don't take it away from me!" Reiner laughed, the boys also joining in with his laughter. He ignored the boys pleas and stepped toward the house, pointing the torch at it and watching as it slowly set alight.

"Say bye bye whore house~" He practically sang, taking a step back as the house erupted in flames.

"NO!" Levi cried, tears streaming down his face and falling to his knees.

***End of Flashback***

"They danced around like it was some kind of celebration…" Levi's voice cracked ever so slightly as his hands began to tremble. "..while I watched the only thing I had left crumble in front of me… "

Eren couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He always knew that Reiner was a horrible person but to stoop that low, he really was a dark and heartless individual. If only his father or him was still in power, he'd make sure that Reiner was fired and punished for what he did. "After that, I had nowhere to go and nobody around to help me. I spent weeks on the streets and i even lost my job on the farm… I was ready to just fade away… That was until Hanji came along and offered me a place to stay. Turns out her and Erwin lived out here, just them two together. They gave me a bed, food and taught me how to steal from the rich noblemen to afford to live. After a few years, I decided we should do some good for the other people of Nottingham who were struggling. That's how we became outlaws. By stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Even if I couldn't help my mother in the end… at least I can help other people, right?" Eren smiled gently, nodding his head in agreement.

"I think she'd be proud of what you're doing." He said softly, towards him to peck his cheek. Levi smiled a little, returning the kiss by pressing one on the brunettes forehead.

"I hope she does…" He said with a deep sigh.

"Armin told me something last night…" Levi looked at him curiously, tilting his head in silent question. "He said that the people we love never really leave us, they just go up there…" Eren looked up at the bright sky above them. "...and watch over us." Levi raised an eyebrow, confused by what Eren meant and decided to look up at the sky himself, trying to look at exactly the same spot Eren was.

"Up in the sky?" He asked.

"Each star is a person looking down on you to make sure you are safe." Levi tilted his head to look at him, smirking at the thought of his mother looking down on him and seeing him risk his life just to get a kiss from Eren. He was sure she'd smack him upside the head for that.

"Does that include both our mothers?" Eren giggled softly at his question and nodded his head.

"I like to think it does." Levi couldn't help but look at the other who stood there, looking up at the sky with the most genuine and soft smile he'd ever seen. He'd really missed seeing Eren smile, he'd missed just being with him in general. He felt like he could stay there watching him forever, but he was soon reminded that they he was meant to be surprising him, so he began to walk again, pulling the other to walk along beside him.

"Come on, let's keep walking." He said, leading him through the trees once more and soon coming to a clearing where Eren soon noticed a waterfall, flowers surrounding the waters edge. His eyes grew wide as he came to the realisation of where Levi had brought him.

"Levi...This is…"

"Where we first kissed." Levi added, finishing his sentence for him.

"You remember?" Eren was slightly surprised Levi remembered after all those years apart, but considering he himself could still remember every detail, maybe it wasn't surprising that Levi did too.

"Of course I do." The raven haired male replied, leading him to the water's edge. "It was the happiest i've felt since I can remember."

"Me too. Although being with you again like this comes pretty close."

The two stood hand in hand, staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever before Levi finally pressed a kiss to the other's lips. It only lasted a few seconds but it still made Eren's head spin, the raven haired male did have that effect on him after all. Once the kiss was broken, Levi stepped away from him and knelt down in the flowers, his back to Eren who just watched him, obviously curious as to why someone like Levi was kneeling down and seemingly picking flowers like a six year old girl.

"Levi what are you doing?" He asked, giggling. Levi didn't reply and simply turned to face Eren, still on his one knee.

"Do you remember when I promised you we'd always be together?" He asked the other who nodded, smiling to himself at the memory. "Well, I intend to actually keep that promise from now on." He held a water lily which was tied to a small, circular piece of string. The other stared down at the flower, a sudden realisation popping into his head of what Levi was intending to do. He put his hands to his mouth, gasping as he teared up.

"Levi…"

"I can't afford a real ring on an outlaw's salary..." He said jokingly, causing the other to laugh softly, wiping his tears away and sniffling. "So this will have to do for now...Eren, will you marry me?" A nod was all Eren could muster, his tears stopping him from being able to utter a single word of the English language. Levi chuckled faintly, getting to his feet and placing the temporary flower ring onto his finger. The two then shared a loving kiss, Erens hands reaching up to cup Levi's face. For him, nothing could spoil this moment, not even if Prince Jean himself came running in to arrest them both. The moment he'd always dreamed of was finally here, he imagined a different kind of ring, but of course he didn't care. It was original and unique, just like Levi.


	10. Chapter 10

Upon hearing the news of Levi and Eren's engagement, Ymir took it upon herself to organise a party in the forest, inviting all the villagers to celebrate. They needed something to lift their spirits after Petra's passing, so this seemed like the perfect chance to dance and sing their troubles away. Before long, the whole hideout was filled with happy villagers, the sound of folk music being sang echoing in the air. Armin and Eren were dancing with each other, laughing and just enjoying themselves while Levi sat and watched them, contented at the sight of his fiance happy. His attention was brought away from the male as he caught Erwin taking a seat next to him.

"It's good to see you happy for once." The blond said, smirking. Levi turned his head in a pathetic attempt to hide his smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say?" He replied matter of factly. "He's the only reason I have to be happy right now."

"Well i'm glad." Erwin said as saw Hanji run in between the two boys dancing, deciding to join in. You couldn't exactly say she was dancing, but at least she was putting in the effort. The sight of her made him chuckle. This woman was the person he'd fallen in love with, but he wasn't complaining. Considering they had lived together in the forest since they were teenagers, he was used to her quirks by now, maybe even finding them oddly cute. The sad thing was, he'd never even told her how he felt. It wasn't that he hadn't tried, she just hadn't stood still long enough for him to tell her. They were always so busy and she literally had no idea of how he felt.

"And when do you plan on telling Hanji you're in love with her?" Levi asked all of a sudden, making Erwin spit out the ale he'd just taken a sip of from his flask.

"Eh?!" He began to cough and splutter, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "How did you know-"

"It's pretty obvious when you look at the facts." Levi shrugged. "Whenever someone mentions her, you're like a puppy with a bone… And when she got hurt that one time while running from guards, you looked like you were about to cling to her and never let her go." Erwin sighed in defeat, he couldn't deny it now. "I'm not judging. Just tell her, Erwin… Before you lose her to someone else." Levi was right, of course Erwin knew he was right. Before he could even get the chance to tell Levi he was right, said brunette woman strided over, grabbing Erwins hand and pulling him to his feet.

"Come on, Erwin!" She whined pleadingly, batting her eyelashes at him for effect. Erwin groaned and got to his feet, unable to say no to her and let himself be dragged to the middle of the floor, dancing with her. He knew he'd have to tell her eventually, he'd just have to wait for the right time.

The party went on long into the night, making it the biggest celebration in Nottingham since Prince Eren's own birth. The noise could even be heard back in the village where Sherriff Reiner was walking around in search of the villagers. There was nobody in sight, not even the blind old man was around. He couldn't understand it, but he had an inkling that it had something to do with the noise coming from the forest. Even if it was late and dark out, he decided to take a walk into the forest in search of the singing. The blond male spent a good half hour walking before he finally found the source of the noise. He peeked from behind the trees and saw every single one of the missing villagers dancing and singing. He had stumbled upon the party, meaning he had also finally found Levi's hideout. Reiner couldn't believe his luck. For two years he's been searching for Levi and his members and there he was, all of them right in front of him like sitting ducks. With a proud grin, he ran off back from where he came, excited to tell Prince Jean the news.

"A party?!" Jean snapped as he sat on his throne in bed robes. He had only just gotten into bed when Reiner came running like a chimpanzee into the castle, waking everyone up. It was unsurprising that he was none too happy about it, but he soon changed his mind once he knew what exactly Reiner had to say and what news he was bringing . "What kind of party?"

"A huge party Sire!" Reiner replied, waving his hands as if to emphasise how big it was. "To celebrate Prince Eren's engagement to Levi."

"Engagement?!" Jean erupted, tossing a vase at the male who quickly ducked, narrowly missing it. "How dare that brat get engaged when he is already meant to marry me! How else am I meant to become King?!"

"Careful, Sire." Bertholdt said calmly, trying to cool down Jean. "Your temper. We will get Eren back. We will simply wait till early morning and arrest them all before they have even woken up. Then you can have both Eren and Levi in your grasp." This of course pleased the wannabe King who began to grin wickedly.

"Brilliant, Bertholdt!" Jean praised, chuckling to himself. "Reiner, gather your men and prepare to go back to capture those outlaws and that unruly Prince."

"Yes, Sire!" Reiner exclaimed, running down the halls to retrieve his men. Jean chuckled darkly and got to his feet, staring out the window in thought.

"I will finally have that parasite in my grasp. And when i do, i'll take great pleasure in killing him, right in front of his precious fiance…"

At around 6am, Krista woke with start, hearing the sounds of multiple footsteps nearby. She sat up from the bed she lay in next to Ymir and looked around. She listened carefully, her eyes shooting open when she heard a familiar voice closeby.

"They're just through here, everyone!" Reiner said, guiding his men through the forest. Krista began to shake Ymir's arm in an attempt to wake her up.

"Ymir!" She called, her voice shaking from panicking. "Ymir, wake up! Reiner is here!" Ymir groaned in protest, just about to turn around and lay on her other side when her head finally processed what Krista had said, making her eyes fly wide as she jolted up into a sitting position.

"Reiner?!" She blurted out in question, the blonde nodded. Ymir grabbed the tops of Krista's arms, making her look at her as she shook her a little. "You need to run! I'll wake the others!" Krista did as she was told and quickly got up, running to hide away while Ymir ran over to Levi's bed, just about to wake him when someone grabbed her from behind, holding a sword to her throat.

"Everyone wake up!" Krista yelled before running away with Armin who she had managed to wake up before the guards had arrived. The two then ran away, hoping to go get some help from the villagers. Levi and the others woke up, finding themselves surrounded by soldiers, pointing swords at their throats. Reiner stood between them, grinning proudly.

"I finally found you, Levi.~" He said in a dark tone, chuckling faintly as the dark haired male glared at him, slowly and carefully reaching into his inside jacket pocket to grab his knife, but Reiner saw it coming and drew his sword, pointing it at his throat. Eren instantly got to his feet, grabbing the knife himself and stepping forward to rest the knife against Reiner's neck. The Sheriff seemed un-phased by this and smirked. "Prince Eren, step aside." He ordered calmly.

"Make me, you bastard." The young Prince hissed. "You're not touching him." Reiner sighed deeply.

"Fine. I'm sorry your Highness, but you are under arrest." Reiner glanced at the other men, gesturing for them to arrest the Prince. The guards did so, snatching the knife from Eren's hand and pulling him aside, tying his hands behind his back.

"Get your hands off me!" Eren protested, thrashing around his their grasp while Levi could do nothing as the sword was still held to his throat.

"Come along, Levi." Sheriff Reiner said, grinning proudly to himself. "There is someone who is just dying to see you."

**~X~X~X~X~**

The guards and Sheriff took Levi along with his group to the castle, Sheriff Reiner took it upon himself to drag the Prince back to the Castle. Once they arrived, he ordered the guards to take most of the group down to the dungeons, which just left Levi himself, Eren, Hanji and Erwin left to be taken to see Prince Jean.

"What do we do now, Levi?" Hanji asked in a whisper as she was guided alongside her raven haired leader. The male looked to her, seeing the fear in her eyes, she obviously hoped he had a plan, but he daren't admit to her that he had no idea what to do at this point.

"Don't worry, i'll get us out of this…" He assured her, looking down at the ground. "Somehow." The four were brought into a large room where Jean was sat on his throne, grinning to himself as he saw his guards enter with their prisoners.

"Hackerman Snood, so nice of you to visit." He said, getting to his feet and striding over to them.

"Who?" Levi asked, tilting to his head.

"I think he means Ackerman Hood." Erwin whispered in reply.

"Then why didn't he just say that?" Levi asked, looking to him and rolling his eyes.

"What's a Snood?" Hanji asked.

"No idea." Levi replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Are you really surprised that this horse faced bastard can't remember the name of his enemy? He's an idiot." Jean huffed, fists balled at his sides, about to protest.

"Shut u-"

"I don't think calling him an idiot is going to help us in this situation…" Erwin added, interrupting Jean who got even more frustrated. "...even if he is one."

"Silence!" Jean yelled, hopping up and down like a child for the second time in twenty four hours. He had finally had enough of all this and decided that he wouldn't waste time putting an end to it. "Put him on his knees!" He ordered, pointing to Levi. The two guards holding Levi forced him to his knees while Jean snatched Sheriff Reiner's sword from his free hand and aiming it at the raven haired male's throat. "I should have just done this yesterday and killed you myself!"

"Jean, don't!" Eren cried, struggling in Reiner's grasp. "Let him go!" Jean ignored the other and brought the sword up in the air, ready to swing down and chop off his enemy's head and be rid of him once and for all. He was so ready for it when three words stopped him in his tracks. "I'll marry you!" He turned to Eren, lowering the sword to the ground while the guards and Reiner just stood slack jawed in shock.

"Excuse me?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Levi looked to his fiance, eyes wide, his heart sinking.

"Eren?" Eren ignored him.

"I'll marry you, just don't hurt him! Please…"

"Oh, Eren." Jean smiled widely, tossing the sword aside. "Finally you have come to your senses~" He stepped towards Eren, grabbing his hands and pressing a kiss to his lips, which Eren was tempted to step back from but decided it was best not to. "This calls for a celebrat-"

"I have some conditions…" The boy interrupted. Jean rolled his eyes.

"Conditions? You must be joking-"

"Then refer to them as wedding gifts." Jean groaned.

"And these wedding gifts would be?" He asked.

"I want you to promise me you won't harm them. Especially not Levi." Jean grinned faintly, bowing slightly at the other and pressing a soft kiss on his hand.

"You have my word." He assured him in a slight purr before stepping back and looking towards Bertholdt. "Take Prince Eren to his chambers." He ordered. "We have a wedding to prepare him for."

"Eren…!" Levi protested, trying to get to his feet and free himself so he could run to the other and save him, save them all. Eren simply shook his head and said softly.

"Goodbye, Levi." With that, he followed Bertholdt to his bed chambers. Once he was sure Eren was gone and unable to hear them, he gave some new orders.

"Now that he's gone, take them to the dungeons." The guards took the prisoner's out of the room and towards the dungeons, Reiner following close behind. "Reiner!" Jean called out to the Sheriff who stopped and turned to him.

"Yes, sire?" He replied. The wannabe king put a hand to his shoulder and whispered.

"Make sure Levi is...Properly taken care of."

"But you promised Eren-"

"I gave him my word that I wouldn't harm Levi." He corrected. "I said nothing about you harming him. Do what you want with him." Jean grinned at that, already looking forward to making the raven haired male suffer. The thought of him screaming in pain making him chuckle softly.

"Gladly, Prince Jean."


	11. Chapter 11

Eren stood there while he was fitted for his wedding outfit, an emotionless look on his face. The maid was taking his measurements while Bertholdt stayed in the corner as if standing guard incase the Prince changed his mind. He lifted his hand slightly and stared at the makeshift ring Levi had given him. After last night, this was the last thing he imagined happening, he wished they had never let their guard down. Maybe they would have been married by now, afterall Friar Tuck would have been glad to do so. He had been a lifelong friend to the both of them. Now he was stood here awaiting the moment he would be wed to the wrong man, the person he least expected to be married to. It was heartbreaking, but at least Levi was safe. Seeing Levi stood there at the mercy of Jean terrified him, he would do anything to save him, even if it meant marrying that horse faced bastard and once he was married to Jean, he could order for their pardon and release. He could even encourage him to treat his subjects better. He would have leaneance with him. He could make the lives of the people of Nottingham. It would benefit everyone, except Eren himself… Or so he thought.

"I'm just going to find some more pins from my room, Young Prince. I shall be back soon." The maid said as she stepped away from him and out of the room. Eren stepped down from the platform he was on and towards the window, staring out of it and towards the forest.

"Can you give me a few minutes alone, Bertholdt?" Eren asked softly, not bothering to glance at the male in the corner. Upon not hearing the sound of footsteps, he got irritated and snapped out the word. "Now." His voice cracked slightly.

"Ofcourse, i'll just be outside." Bertholdt replied and did as he was told, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Once he knew Bertholdt was gone, he leant over, elbows resting on the brick window frame. He thought for a moment if perhaps he should just jump from the window and end it all, at least then he wouldn't have to marry Jean, but then he would leave Levi and his crew at the mercy of that bastard and he just couldn't do that. He had to protect them and his people. If he died, who would fight for their happiness? He had no choice but to bear it. He couldn't help but think of what had happened the night before and how happy he was, just him and Levi at that waterfall with no worries on their minds, thinking nothing in the world could harm them…

***Flashback***

Eren and Levi sat at the edge of the water, the brunettes head rested on the others shoulder and he looked down and admired the temporary ring on his finger. Even if it was a simple flower which would eventually wither away, it was still perfect, Levi was perfect, everything about this night was perfect. He turned his attention to the water, watching as the sunlight bouncing off of it and making it sparkle slightly.

"Hey Levi?" He called softly as an idea popped into his head.

"Yeah?" The other replied, tilting his head to look at his fiance and giving his hand a light squeeze.

"What would you say if I suggested we go for a swim?" Levi raised an eyebrow at that question but just chuckled faintly.

"I'd say sure why not." Eren giggled and got to his feet, turning his back to Levi taking off his waistcoat and cape. He didn't plan of getting those ruined, so a shirt and his trousers would be good enough to go swimming in. Once they were removed, he turned back to Levi.

"Okay, you read-uhhhh…" He was unable to even finish his sentence when he finally noticed the sight before him. It seemed Levi had a completely different idea to him of what to swim in. There he was… stood right in front of Eren… as naked as they day he was born. Eren felt his whole face turn red, infact, he thought perhaps his whole body had turned red at this point. He wasn't complaining, not at all. It was rather a good sight to see, but he just wasn't expecting it. Levi on the other hand, seemed un-phased as he looked Eren up and down.

"You're not gonna go swimming in those are you?" The naked male asked, raising an eyebrow. Eren chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Uhhh...Well…" He mumbled, deciding to look at the ground to avoid Levi thinking he was staring too closely at his lower half. "I wasn't really…"

"Oh." "You don't have to take them off… I just thought yknow… Ruining such expensive clothing…." Levi did have a point he supposed. They were his best clothes, maybe he should take them off.

"True." He bit his lip and looked at the other, making sure not to glance down from his eyes. "Could you uh…" Levi seemed confused for a second before understanding what Eren meant.

"Oh, sure." He said, turning his back so Eren could get undressed. It seemed a little silly to him considering Eren had just seen him completely naked but he didn't question it. He waited patiently, not even peeking. A sound of water splashing telling him it was okay to turn around. Eren was already in the water, staying in the shallow end, the water just high enough to reach his chest. His cheeks were still a dark shade of pink as he stared up and Levi.

"You coming?" He asked, reaching his hand out to him. Levi smiled softly and got into the water, taking his hand in his and wrapping his free hand around his waist. The water was surprisingly warm but considering the warm weather, it was not completely surprising. He stared into his fiance's eyes, a soft smile on the brunettes lips as he stared back at him. "I love you, Levi." Eren whispered softly.

"I love you too." Levi replied just as softly, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. They broke away for a moment, staring back into each others eyes before kissing again, this time more passionately, the brunettes hand entangling in the others dark hair. Levi hugged his waist, bringing him closer, a soft groan escaping him.

***End of Flashback***

That day was one of the best of his life, maybe the best. He let out a small chuckle and thought to himself. ' _Well at least that horse faced bastard won't be taking my virginity.'_ That belonged to Levi. But that was all Levi had of him now he thought. For one night he was happily engaged to the man of his dreams, but now it was all over. He sighed deeply, removing the flower from his finger and tossing it out the window, a single tear escaping his eye. "I'm sorry, Levi…"

**~X~X~X~X~**

Down in the dungeons, the sounds of punches and groans could be heard from a prison cell. Inside was Levi and Sheriff Reiner. Levi was handcuffed to the wall while Reiner proceeded to throw punches at him, the blood spilling from his mouth and face.

"Had enough, Ackerman?" Reiner taunted, panting slightly from his efforts and stepping back to view his handiwork. Levi hung there, covered in blood and bruises which were already starting to appear. He lifted his head, glaring at the other before spitting out blood which splattered onto Reiners white shirt.

"You piece of shit…" He spat out in the most poisonous tone the Sheriff had ever heard from anyone. Jean grinned at the other's stubbornness, refusing to let the other see him anything less than strong willed, he would enjoy taking that away from him, even if it took days.

"I guess not." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders before delivering another punch to the raven haired males abdomen making him groan in pain and cough, the air leaving his lungs for a few moments. The taller male leant down slightly to get face to face with him and whispered. "I'm going to make you regret the day you crossed me, shortie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Sorry if these chapters are short but that's all i can really add to these without making them far too long. Thank you to the people who have stuck by and waited since 2016 for the continuation. And to anyone waiting on other stories, i apologise and i'm doing my best to try and get the motivation to do them.))


	12. Chapter 12

Armin and Krista stood in the cover of the trees as they looked up at the castle where their friends were held captive. They had no idea what had happened to them, but it didn't take Jean long to announce the news that he and Eren would be wed the in three days time. Armin found himself wondering what could have happened to cause Eren to agree to marrying him, maybe Levi's life was on the line? That seemed the most likely scenario, otherwise Eren would have never agreed. The blond felt powerless, with only Krista left to comfort him. Ymir mentioned that they should get help but who would they find? The villagers would never be willing to attempt an jailbreak. They had no weapons to defend themselves with and Jean wouldn't think twice about killing them for treason.

"What do we do now, Armin?" The female blonde asked sadly, bringing the other out of his trail of thought and glance at her, noticing the tears in her eyes. Armin frowned and held her hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

"I'm not sure." He replied as the other sniffled and wiped her eyes. "What can we do? I am weak and useless… I can't save them."

"M-Me neither…" Krista mumbled, sitting down against a tree and hugging her knees. "Maybe we can find someone who can?" She asked, resting her head on her knees and trying to think of something, anything they can do to stop this.

"Like who?" Armin questioned, sighing deeply.

"The king?"

"King Grisha? But he is all the way in London."

"You're right…" Krista sighed in defeat. "We'll never get there in time to stop this." She hid her face in her hands, tears running down her cheeks as they thought of what could be happening to Ymir inside that castle when the sound of a horse neighing caught her attention, making her lift her head up, a lightbulb going off in her brain. "Maybe not on foot." She quickly got to her feet and ran to the source of the neighing, dragging along a stumbling Armin by the hand. Armin found himself brought to a large white horse, already tacked up in a rather expensive saddle and bridle. It must have been one of the guards horses.

"On horseback?" Armin gasped, resting a hand on the horse's nose as it leant down to investigate him. "But Krista, you said you couldn't ride a h-"

"I can't." Krista interrupted, shoving the reins into Armin's hands. "But you can."

"Me?!"

"Yes. You need to travel to London and find a way to convince the king to come back." Krista explained but the other just shook head, frowning.

"He wouldn't listen to me." He mumbled.

"You're Eren's best friend. He will listen to you." She assured him, holding the horse still as he reluctantly got into the saddle. "I'll watch over things here, now go!" Armin took a deep breath, psyching himself up before nodding and wishing Krista good luck. He then galloped off into the distance and out of sight.

**~X~X~X~X~**

That night inside the castle, Prince Jean made his way down into the dungeons to pay a certain prisoner a little visit. He wanted to make sure Reiner had took his advice and gave Ackerman Hood what he deserved. Even if he couldn't do it himself, he would still enjoy watching the other being beaten down by someone else on his orders. The wannabe king stepped towards the door, already able to hear the sounds of Levi's pained groans before Annie had even opened the door. Once the door was open, he walked inside and grinned at the sight before him. Levi's once light green shirt was now stained a deep red and his clothing was torn from the force of the kicks and punches. The male was covered in cuts and bruises. It seemed Reiner really did follow his advice.

"What's this?" Jean taunted, chuckling to himself as Levi was too weak to even lift his head up to look at the other. If he hadn't recognised the voice, he wouldn't have even known who had just entered the room. Upon seeing the Prince, Reiner removed the chains from the wall, making Levi drop to his knees with a thud and a pained cry. "The notorious Ackerman Hood, chained and beaten. I can't say i'm disappointed…" He grabbed the other by the hair, forcibly lifting his head up to face him, earning a deep whimper from the raven haired male. "I would have given away all my gold just to see you like this. Luckily I don't have to. I finally have you right where I want you." Levi coughed and chuckled faintly.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't have a beastiality kink." It took a few moments for Jean to realise what Levi meant but as soon as he did, he began to blush and growl angrily, tugging his hair hard.

"You insolent little-" He managed to calm himself and took a deep breath, letting go of his hair and stepping back. "It doesn't matter, you'll be dead soon anyway. Meanwhile i'll have your precious Prince all to myself." Levi could feel his heart sink at the thought of that. Jean ofcourse could tell that Levi was hurt by that comment and chuckled darkly. "Doesn't that make you angry, hm~? Imagining someone else's hands being all over him?" He taunted.

"Shut up…" Levi hissed weakly.

"Oh maybe I hit a nerve~" Jean teased, grinning before continuing. "I'll make sure you stay alive long enough to hear him screaming my name~" With that, Levi had really had enough.

"You piece of shit!" With all the strength he had, he lunged at Jean, wrapping the chains around his neck and holding them there while the other shrieked in fright. Annie and Reiner were about to come to the Prince's rescue when Levi yelled. "Don't fucking move or he dies!" He warned. The others did as they were told and stayed put. "Now open that door!" Levi ordered, but the others didn't move, unsure whether to do as Levi told them.

"D-Do as he says!" Jean cried and the Sheriff quickly moved to open the cell door.

"That's it." Levi said, stepping out, still holding the chains to Jean's neck. "Now let the others free." Once again they hesitated. "NOW!" He snapped. Reiner fiddled with the keys, missing the hole for the lock a few times before finally opening the door and letting Levi's team members free. The group ran up the stairs and out of the dungeon, all except for Hanji who stopped and looked at him worriedly.

"Levi…?" She called, reaching a hand out to him.

"Go. I'll be right behind you." He assured her. The female nodded and swiped the keys to Levi's chains from Reiners hands before running up the stairs to catch up with the others. Once he knew the others were a safe distance away, Levi released Jean, pushing him into Reiner and causing them both to topple over. He then ran up the stairs as fast as his weak legs would carry him to join Hanji who was waiting for him. She quickly removed the chains from his hands, just in time to start running as Annie reached the top of the stairs and chased after them. "Everyone get to the front doors!" Levi yelled as he ran with his group down the halls, only to be greeted by a bunch of guards stood in front of it. The group skidded to a halt.

"Change of plan! Out of the window!" Hanji cried, leading the others to a large open window. One by one they jumped out and into the moat below, then swam to the safety of the forest nearby. Levi was about to jump out when he stopped, a sudden realisation coming to his mind.

"Eren!" He gasped. "Hanji, get out of here! I need to go find Eren!" He said before running in the direction of the stairs up to the bedroom's. He didn't know which one was Eren's but he just assumed he'd have to guess.

"Levi!" Hanji protested, but the male was already gone. "Ugh, men!" She groaned before diving out of the window and into the waters beneath. Levi turned a corner and down a hall when he was stopped by none other than Annie, sword in hand.

"Nowhere to run, Ackerman." She said, smirking darkly.

"Annie..." Levi growled, pure hate in his eyes.

"What's the matter, Levi? Still mad at me for killing that girl?" The blond teased.

"Petra didn't deserve to die."

"Maybe not, but you do." Annie lunged at Levi who narrowly ducked her attack and ran down the hall she had once been blocking. Well that was one way to get her to move out of his way. Little did he know that he'd knocked over a lit torch off the wall as he dodged her attack, which took no time in starting to set the carpets on fire behind them. Annie blinked in surprise, wondering where the raven haired male went before noticing him running off down the halls. "Get back here, you coward and fight me!" She yelled in frustration, running after him. Levi ran into a nearby room, slamming the door shut and putting a wardrobe in front of it to stop the blond following him inside. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he could finally have a few moments to concentrate on the task at hand, finding Eren.

Eren on the other hand was just getting into bed when he was interrupted by the sound of someone running into his room and moving furniture around, followed by the sounds of someone angrily thumping on the door. He sat up in his bed and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who was standing by his bedroom door.

"Levi?" Levi blinked and turned around to see Eren looking back at him, seemingly just as surprised as he was.

"Eren!" He ran over to the brunette pulling him into a hug and kissing him passionately. Eren pulled back first, his eyes flying wide with concern upon seeing the state Levi was in, all cuts and bruises, covered in blood.

"Levi, what did they do to you?" He asked worriedly, cupping his face in his hands. "Jean promised-"

"Yeah but that didn't mean Reiner couldn't beat the shit out of me." Levi said, shaking his head and grabbing the boys hand. "But it doesn't matter, we need to go." He began to look around for a way out and decided to climb from window ledge to window ledge until he reached a room nearer the front doors so they could make their getaway. But upon seeing how many guards were standing there, he decided they need a plan B. He climbed in through the nearest window and into the room. It was Prince Jeans room.

"If we go left down the hall, we can go the servants quarters and out the window into the moat!" Eren explained, running towards the halls, hand in hand with Levi. He was about to turn the corner when a blaze of flames made him jump back. The fallen torch had set the whole floor beneath alight and had travelled up to the next floor. There was no way of reaching the servants quarters now, their only way to go was up to the top floor. The flames seemed to follow them five steps behind and exhaustion was finally starting to set in for Levi. They reached the very top room, Levi entering first, but Eren didn't get to follow as some of the door frame came down, burning wood blocking the Prince from getting inside. Before Levi knew it, the whole room was engulfed in flames and blocking the doorway, the only source of Levi's escape.

"Levi!" Eren cried from the hallway, unable to reach him.

"Get out of here!" He yelled. "I'll be fi-" The air left his lungs as he felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked back to see Annie holding a knife which she had just jabbed into his side.

"I'm not done with you yet, Ackerman." She growled, yanking the knife away and stepping back as Levi fell to his knees.

"Levi, are you okay?!" Eren called worriedly, trying to get in but Reiner pulled him away and down the stairs, the boy squirming in protest. "Let me go! He's hurt! I know he is!"

"You're not getting out of here alive!" Annie yelled as she raised the knife again to strike him, when there was a loud rumble from above them. Without warning, a roof beam came down and crushed Annie, Levi just managing to get out of the way before it crushed him too. Now there he was, stuck in this crumbling room with only one way out, the window. He scrambled to his feet and onto the roof, dragging himself to the top with the flames surrounding him. He had no choice, he had to jump. But he was on the top floor and it was at least a thirty foot drop between him and the water.

Reiner had managed to bring Eren all the way down to the stairs and out of the castle to safety when the Prince turned to look back as they stood on the drawbridge. The sight he saw made him feel like his whole world turned upside down. Levi had jumped from the roof and was plummeting down into the water. He hit the water with a huge splash, followed by Jean screaming the words

"Kill him!" Causing guards to fire arrows into the water. Everything from that point on was like slow motion, Levi emerged for a few seconds before the arrows appeared and he sunk back underwater and out of sight again. All that rose back up to the surface was blood. Eren dropped to his knees, screaming and crying while Hanji and the others stayed in the trees, shocked by what they just saw. Levi was gone. It was all over.


End file.
